Kobo Aura H2O (2014)

770 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
screen (26)
usability (25)
portability (20)
durability (15)
battery (7)

Negative
price (10)
performance (9)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 770 reviews of Kobo Aura H2O (2014). The average rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. People are impressed by the design and durability. The portability and screen also get good opinions. Some have doubts about the performance, and there are some mixed opinions about the size and price.

usability, screen, portability, durability, design

performance

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Kobo Aura H2O (2014) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 93/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 770 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(37% of reviews)
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Features

usability
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screen
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portability
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durability
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Showing 63 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 27 of 63 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (707)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Kobo Aura H2O (2014)

alaTest has collected and analyzed 11 user reviews of Kobo Aura H2O (2014) from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Comments about the price and screen are overall positive. The durability and portability also get good comments. There are some mixed comments about the performance. Some have doubts about the design.

usability, portability, durability, screen, price

design

82% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Kobo Aura H2O (2014)

alaTest has collected and analyzed 6 user reviews of Kobo Aura H2O (2014) from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. People are impressed by the screen and durability. The usability and performance are also appreciated.

portability, performance, usability, durability, screen

67% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Malarie Gokey (digitaltrends.com)

Kobo Aura H20 review

The Kobo Aura H2O offers one of the most authentic reading experiences of any ebook reader and it even has a cool design. The reader's special features are what set it apart from Amazon's offerings.

Even though the ebook reader seems to be fading fast, Kobo and Amazon are still producing high-end devices for that market. If you prefer reading on an ebook reader to reading on a tablet, the Kindle Paperwhite and Aura H2O are really your best...

Oct, 2014

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Expert review by : Victoria Song (pcmag.com)

Kobo Aura H2O

Whether it's the sandy shores of Cancun or your bathtub, if you like to read near water, the Kobo Aura H2O is a waterproof ebook reader worthy of your attention.

Thinner and lighter than previous model. Improved waterproofing. Adaptive lighting. Detailed reading stats.

Still a bit large for smaller hands. No memory card slot. Relatively expensive.

No matter where you stand, $180 is still a lot to shell out for an ebook reader. If you don't care for the beach or find yourself reading in the tub all that often, the Wi-Fi-only version of the Paperwhite is a better value and our Editors' Choice. For...

May, 2017

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Andrew Hoyle (cnet.com)

Kobo Aura H2O waterproof e-reader brings e-books to bathtime

Kobo's new e-book reader is designed for reading in the bath, by the pool or waiting grimly in the rain for your bus.

Aug, 2014

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Expert review by : Laptop Mag (laptopmag.com)

Kobo Aura H20

Water resistant, bathtub friendly; Bigger display makes reading easier; Gamified reading experience ; No periodicals; Smudge-prone exterior; Lacks parental controls; Overpriced e-books ; Finally! An E Ink e-reader that's ready for a bath, assuming you...

No periodicals; Smudge-prone exterior; Lacks parental controls; Overpriced e-books ; Finally! An E Ink e-reader that's ready for a bath, assuming you can afford this device.

Finally! An E Ink e-reader that's ready for a bath, assuming you can afford this device.

Sep, 2014

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Expert review by : Séamus Bellamy (techhive.com)

Kobo Aura H2O review: This e-reader is pool and bathtub-ready

This water-resistant e-reader can survive being submerged in water.

Water and dust resistant (rated IP67) ; Well built ; Capable of reading a wide array of file formats ; Expandable storage

Backlight can make text look murky ; Heavy for its size ; Port cover seems fragile ; Expensive for what it delivers

Nov, 2016

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Expert review by (zdnet.com)

Kobo Aura H2O 2017, First Take: A waterproof e-reader that's easy on the eyes

Kobo has been active in the UK e-reader market for long enough to achieve good recognition, although it's much less well-known than Amazon with its Kindle devices. Kobo's latest offering updates an earlier device, hence its rather odd name -- 'the new...

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Expert review by (the-ebook-reader.com)

Kobo Aura H2O Review

The Kobo Aura H2O is among the first ebook readers to be waterproof and dustproof. In fact it's officially IP67 certified to be waterproof in up to one meter of water for thirty minutes.

The high resolution E Ink screen looks fantastic, and the newer Carta screen helps makes text appear darker ; It has an evenly distributed frontlight with a wide range of brightness settings, and brightness is easily adjusted by sliding a finger along...

No multitouch support, no pinch-zooming ; The frontlight is more yellow in tone than on other ebook readers, although frontlights can vary greatly from device to device ; No easy option to export notes and highlights ; Can't adjust line spacing with...

In my opinion the Kobo Aura H2O is the best Kobo ebook reader yet. It has one of the nicest screens in the industry and Kobo nailed the design elements. Kobo's software continues to get better, and the hardware is top of the line.

Nov, 2014

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Expert review by : Darrell Etherington (techcrunch.com)

Kobo Aura H2O Review: Weather Resistance And A Great Screen Combine For Ultimate E-Reading

Kobo has introduced a new e-reader, and the device offers all your typical generational improvements, including faster page turning and a high-resolution display for crisp text. But it also brings a degree of waterproofing to the device, which means...

Waterproof ; High-res screen ; Thin, light design

Still larger than Kindle Paperwhite ; $40 to $60 more expensive than Kindle

Kobo’s offering is the peak in terms of e-reader hardware right now – Amazon’s device is slightly smaller and lighter, but you get a far superior screen from the Aura H2O, as well as the built-in water resistance and superior reading light. The only...

Sep, 2014

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Expert review by : Alex Cranz (gizmodo.com)

Amazon's Kindle Is King–Why Would I Buy This Other E-reader?

I've got a struggle y'all. I've been using the new Kobo Aura H2O off and on for the last few weeks, switching between reading on it with reading on my overpriced but super damn slick Amazon Kindle Oasis. The two aren't entirely comparable: The Oasis...

It's waterproof and inexpensive.

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Expert review by : Tony Ibrahim (goodgearguide.com.au)